I would be interested to hear from anyone who works for DHL out of Bahrain. Info on recruitment process, lifestyle, routes, pay, rostering, life in Bahrain for expats ( I have a wife and two children, 2 and 4), command prospects, quality of accommodation available, schooling and general info of type of flying i.e is it all night flights, typical check in times etc and anything else that would be worth knowing.

I can't speak from experience about DHL as I did not work for them however I lived in BAH until 11mths ago and can at least give some constructive info on life.

Accommodation: Amwaj Island is 'the' only place to live in my opinion and that of many expats. It is a 6-7mins drive, straight shot, to the airport, regardless of time of day. All of the apartments, condos, townhouses etc are new as this island is man made in the last number of years. The standard of accommodation is very high and surrounded by water and small beaches. There are plenty of amenities and a new large supermarket along with the Lagoon area is pleasant. Amwaj also happens to be as far away as you could possibly be from the crappy parts of town where alot of the 'minority majority' live if you know what I mean.

Amwaj has suffered it's own mini Dubai style real estate crash and many developments are not finished or are empty so prices are probably still falling.

As for schools, there is an excellent school beside Amwaj (5mins drive), international curriculum and other schools not more than 15-20mins drive away.

I've lived all over M.East and have a young family. Bah was by far our favourite place with Ras Al Khaimah coming very close second. My wife and I enjoyed the nitelife, selection of great restaurants and she loved the shopping.

As for DHL, I had heard from a friend over a year ago that the financial situation was precarious so you'd want to check that out. Also, and more importantly, as far as I know they aren't operating any 75's. They have a few different types incl 72's but if my info is accurate then there are no 75's, that would be worth checking also. DHL BAH is not your typical DHL and they have aircraft on the Saudi register and correct me if I'm wrong, possibly an AOC from E.European country under which they are operating Il76's or some such junk.

There is no malice in Slowjet's post however. The island appears to be a tinder box and only the might of the Saudi military plus some others, is all that kept this from going the way of Egypt or Tunisia. The Sunni minority rule the Shia majority, think Hussein's Iraq, and there has always been simmering tension below the surface long before the events of earlier this year. Again, in support of living on Amwaj, it was one of the few places that was completely unaffected by the trouble and some friends who remained on there said they they watched events unfold on TV as if it was another country.

I dont know how much or if the expat scene has changed since the recent troubles but we made some terrific friends there and were sorry to leave them go.

We left BAH and the M.East as it was a better career move for me but our time there was happy and many of our friends who are still there, continue to thrive and say they will not leave unless something really dire happens with the political situaion.

I don't work for DHL Bahrain and can't comment on the working conditions there, however, I just taxiied by two of their 757's (ex-Eastern Airlines machines) and chatted with a couple of their 757 crewmembers in the immigration line-up a few days ago.

Thanks for the support D.O.G. One of the best posts I have read. Ron, I thought that I was making a 'proper comment' and that I was being 'constructive'. The ME is highly volatile at the momment & not the place to consider taking your wife & two kids to, unless you HAVE to. Astreus & TC guys may 'have' to. Consider yourself very fortunate to have a 757 seat in truly free skies.

Just a small point but I think you'll find it's a Shia ruling party controlling a lot of Sunni in Syria? Unless the US and it's controlling partner start something with Iran I think it's still a fairly safe place to ride out the European recession! If not I'll be heading in a westerly direction in my 4x4 pretty sharpish Mates seem to enjoy it there in Bahrain.

Indeed, always 2 white B752F's running around BAH lately. Caught them doing circuit training lots of times flying low over Amwaj. As desertopsguy said, go and stay in Amwaj. Either at Tala, Mena 7 or Floating City. Personally I would favor the latter, it's like a permanent holiday. Go to Youtube and check it out. Prices have stabilised but are below 'normal rate' due to the unrest earlier this year.

Only last week a new Hypermarket opened up only 8 minutes away so now there's a choice between 3 supermarkets. Lots of developments, commercial and residential has been stopped and is expected to re-start in 2012.

I'm currently going through the selection process - first stages at the moment - and I'd be happy to share what I find with you. I've done a hell of a lot of research on the current situation, house prices, school costs, lifestyle etc. as well which I can pass on if you are interested. I have a mountain of links to property rental places, car rental businesses, classified ads - all the bits and pieces you need to make a start out there. The 350Kg limit on transferring personal effects to Bahrain is quite low.. I don't think you'll be bringing your favourite couch!

If you've some info on rostering patterns, work lifestyle et.al., then that would be something I would be interested in reading myself.

Personally, I think it looks pretty good and whilst the political unrest is not exactly umm.. what's the word... ideal (!), unless it all goes to hell in a handcart overnight it's something we are prepared to risk.

Also.. I really hope they have 757s out there as if they're looking for Ilyushin pilots, they're speaking to the wrong guy!

Panama Jack Not sure of ex China Eastern 757's, certainly ex Air 2000 G-OOOV/W DHL Air are providing some Pilots on short term lease to assist the start up. They seem to like it compared to flogging around Europe at night

The island appears to be a tinder box and only the might of the Saudi military plus some others, is all that kept this from going the way of Egypt or Tunisia. The Sunni minority rule the Shia majority, think Hussein's Iraq, and there has always been simmering tension below the surface long before the events of earlier this year.

Guys.. Just an honest advice.. You may share your opinions freely and exchange your experiences about the company or the country.. but you can't/don't understand the complex political and sectarian structures in Bahrain and probably in the whole middle east region. Unless you are an arab or have lived here for long years and mixed up with different types of the locals, which I highly doubt, then the information you have could well be inaccurate or completely wrong. So be careful and more considerate what kind of details you spread around without being absolutely certain!

Guys.. Just an honest advice.. You may share your opinions freely and exchange your experiences about the company or the country.. but you can't/don't understand the complex political and sectarian structures in Bahrain and probably in the whole middle east region. Unless you are an arab or have lived here for long years and mixed up with different types of the locals, which I highly doubt, then the information you have could well be inaccurate or completely wrong. So be careful and more considerate what kind of details you spread around without being absolutely certain!

Regards.

Thank you for that Aviator. I've just about had enough of people spreading that sunni minority-shia majority cr@p. Anybody who lived here will tell you that that's not true.

Quote:

and there has always been simmering tension below the surface long before the events of earlier this year.

No, there hasn't. Bahrain has always been one of the rare countries where Sunnis and Shia have lived for decades without being differentiated.

Ron,

I can't tell you about DHL, but I can tell you about Bahrain.

First thing is, the situation is MUCH better than it was last Feb and March, BUT it could turn ugly the next couple of days, so stay tuned.

Second thing, don't go straight to expat traps like Amwaj. It's really nice and safe there (it really is like you're in a different country), but you can find other areas with excellent accomodation, cheaper prices, and lots of expats (if that's what you're looking for). A lot of expats I know live in places like Mahooz and Juffair and Saar. As for schools, there aren't many that might be good enough, and those can be pricey. (examples: the school next to amwaj, St. Christopher, and Bahrain School)

Last thing, if the pay is good, and you think you'll be fine here and enjoy it, go for it. Tens of thousands of expats lived here during the last year without any problems. No western expats were harmed with the exception of the Brit who was attacked and robbed in Karranah.

Sorry for bringing the thread up .... Not exactly looking for information on DHL, but interested on information about country. How is the political situation nowadays? Has the social unrest diminished/finished?